The Fateful Encounter
by icekittens
Summary: It's late 2009 and Dan Howell's been invited to attend a friend's party. Great, right? Well... Not if you're socially awkward. Fortunately, Dan meets someone named Phil Lester and they immediately hit it off. Soon the party ends and the two say their goodbyes, hoping to see each other soon — but who knows it'll be years until they see each other again? AU-ish.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **haha yeah i'm making a phan story because i get random ideas out of nowhere and i _can't _seem to get them out of my head? anyway i actually don't know where i'm going with this honestly but i'm in extremely happy mood atm because i fINALLY FINISHED MY WINTER BREAK HOMEWORK (for math though i have science left fml) HELLA

one thing before i begin: have any of you read _two roads meet_? HOLY CRAP I /HIGHLY/ RECOMMEND IT OKAY IT'S ONE OF THE BEST PHANFICS I'VE EVER READ. i cried when it ended but _really you guys should read it. _it made me exPLODE with feels — and it's really well written. it's amazing.

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!

**disclaimer:** i don't own dan & phil and blah blah blah you get what i mean

**setting: **AU

**warning: **rated T for Dan(and Chris)'s language lmao

enjoy!

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

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The year was 2009, and a certain 18 year old was making his way through the streets of London.

He wasn't one for crowds, or for people in general. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to fix it — but failed, because someone had bumped into him as he was doing so. _Goodness gracious__._ Rolling his eyes, he shook his head and stalked off, weaving through humans and almost crashing into little children (he was 6'0" for goodness sakes, you couldn't blame him) but eventually — through the crowds and noises, he had successfully made it back to his house in one piece.

The brown-haired male stuffed his left hand in his pocket (his right was holding a shopping bag) and sighed. He didn't really have an interesting life, which was okay in his opinion. He strongly preferred browsing the internet daily than going out and interacting with people. Today was one of the days that he actually did decide to get his lazy ass up and moving, but he only did that because he was in need of new clothing.

... Not that his wardrobe was all that interesting, it usually consisted of black/gray shirts and pants alike, there was the occasional colored shirts that he did have/enjoy wearing but he liked wearing black and gray more. It kind of suited him the best.

He entered his house and closed the door behind him, making his way to the sofa in the lounge.

The male took his laptop and was about to turn it on — when his phone rang. It was laying facedown next to him, but he eyed it apprehensively. _Really. _Some people had bad timing. After listening to his ringtone for a few moments and debating whether or not to pick the phone up, he groaned and finally flipped it over, reading the contact name — which read Chris Kendall. Sighing, he picked his phone up reluctantly and answered the call.

"Hello?" He said, watching his computer load as he did so.

"DAN!" Chris yelled back, startling Dan which made him nearly drop his phone on the floor. Moments later, he managed _not _to drop it, but he blinked and returned to the call right after maintaining his sudden shock (and after recovering from Chris's loud shouts).

"Chris, what the _hell _do you want?" Dan mumbled, massaging his temple. "Calm yourself down, will you? I almost dropped my phone _when you freaking yelled into my ear_!"

Dan could hear Chris laughing, and he rolled his eyes even though he knew Chris couldn't see him. "Cheer up, Dan. I know you're a bit moody these days — "

"Excuse me?"

" — But hey, to lighten things up, I'm thinking of throwing a party." Chris said, cautiously. "You know, so you'd get used to people and such. That, and we haven't seen each other in person for quite a while, even if it was just a few weeks ago. I want you to meet a new friend I've found recently, he's really nice and stuff and I know you'll like him. A few other people are coming too, if that's okay."

"Um... When you say 'a few other people' I'm not too sure what you mean by that." Dan said, biting his lip. He wasn't great at making friends or introducing himself either. Instantly a wave of panic rushed over him, trying to make the message clear that Dan did _not_ want to go, even if Chris was one of his few friends. He prayed that Chris would realize inviting him would all just be a mistake and leave him be to his internet browsing.

"Oh, shut up." Chris snorted. "You're coming, alright?"

Dan groaned. "But, Chris — "

"Listen, I know that you don't like human interaction and social things — but I _really_ want you to meet this guy okay? He's just like you. Well, kinda. Maybe a little less like you in appearance but I promise you that you won't regret meeting him, okay? Promise! Now, party's gonna be tomorrow at my place. I'll be picking you up, alright?" Chris then said.

"Won't you tell me his name?" Dan asked, sighing, but Chris had hung up.

Great. Now Dan was forced to attend Chris's party (and it wasn't a special occasion!) and to meet some guy that _apparently _was just like him. Of course, Dan appreciated the thought of Chris trying to make him make new friends, but each time he did the people Dan met never just connected to him. They had different music tastes, likes, and basically everything. So Chris's plans always slid downhill and Dan always ended up by himself in the corner of the room on his phone.

Not that he cared.

He checked the date on his phone — October 18, 2009. Dan sighed and threw it on the space next to him.

Dan wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, tomorrow came.<p>

The date was October 19, 2009 — and Dan was in his room, in his bed. It was now nearing 6 o'clock, meaning that Chris would be coming to pick him up from his house soon, and that the party was going to start too. Throughout the whole day Dan had been moping around in his room, knowing that the party would be a complete disaster of his social skills. He thudded his head on the wall — softly, cause the last time he did that he had a bruise on his skull — and dreaded the hours.

Dan wasn't even dressed yet, though he knew that Chris was coming soon. Heck, he didn't even know what to _wear. _

Then, the doorbell rang, and Dan groaned. Chris was here. Crap.

"Dan? Open up!" Chris's voice called from the door, knocking.

It took Dan ten minutes to fully convince himself to get his butt moving and actually socialize with other people. He had totally forgotten that Chris was at the door until Chris pounded on it again, nearly making Dan fall out of his bed. "JUST A SEC!" The teen yelled as he leaped out of bed as he undressed and pulled on his black skinny jeans, cursing his deformed butt and nearly falling down in a rush.

"DAN, DON'T TELL ME THAT YOU'RE BARELY GETTING DRESSED NOW!"

Dan froze, holding a pair of mismatched socks in his hands as he looked at the direction of the door. He laughed nervously as he yanked them on and apologized to his friend. "SORRY, CHRIS!" Immediately Dan heard an exasperated sigh in response.

Moments later, Dan had frantically grabbed a black t-shirt and shoved it over his head. He pulled on a black jacket and stared at himself in the mirror. A scrawny boy with brown hair brushed neatly to one side and with dark brown eyes was staring back at him, looking miserable. Dan sighed as he pulled on his shoes and took his phone, shoving it into his front pocket as he finally met Chris at the door.

When he'd opened it, Chris was on his phone, clearly gotten tired of waiting for Dan. Then Dan cleared his throat after five minutes of Chris not noticing him right away, and Chris nearly jumped. Then he grinned, eyeing him from head to toe. He gave Dan a thumbs up. "About time! Let's get this party started."

Dan exhaled. He was so _not _ready for this.

* * *

><p>They'd arrived at Chris's house thirty minutes later.<p>

Dan's eyes scanned through the cars parked, surrounding Chris's house, and gulped. Did he really invite that many people? And he only said a few, too! Goodness gracious. He could hear the blasts of music from outside the house, and there were lights flashing everywhere. He swiveled around to look at Chris in the driver's seat who was grinning back at him. Chris must've saw the panicked look in his face, and he placed a reassuring hand on Dan's shoulder.

"Don't be scared, Dan, all of them aren't _too_ bad." Chris said, smiling at him. "I promise you that. Oh yeah, about that one guy I wanted you to meet! He should be inside, I saw him earlier. His name's — " He was cut off when he heard shouting and yelling coming from his house. "Uh oh. Well, I'll better see what that's about. Come on, Dan, I'll introduce you to some people."

Dan gulped as Chris got out of the car, Dan cautiously tailing him close behind.

The heavy noises of music got louder and louder as Dan and Chris got inside the house, and Dan's jaw nearly dropped open. There were loads of people everywhere, lots of them chatting and laughing together. Dan blinked — once, twice — to soak it all in. People were sitting on couches, joking around, getting snacks and drinks — and they all seemed to know each other. That made Dan feel worse.

Chris laughed. "Turns out there wasn't a problem at all." He turned to Dan, who was staring around him, the levels of panic rising in his stomach. When Dan turned around to look at Chris, he was too busy looking around the room, drumming his fingers on his chin. "I'm pretty sure I saw him around here earlier..."

"Um, Chris?" Dan asked timidly, unable to keep his eyes off the number of people in the room. "Is PJ here?"

PJ was also one of Dan's few friends, too. He'd met him and Chris at the same time, forming a bond. "Oh yeah, he's over there." He pointed over to a curly, brown haired smiling guy who appeared to be talking to several other people. PJ caught sight of Dan and Chris and waved a friendly hello over to him, Dan returning the wave with an awkward smile before turning back to Chris.

He took deep breaths before he told Chris the truth. "Chris, I can't do this."

"What? Of course you can." Chris said, frowning. "I know it might be hard to talk to people you don't know, but... try, okay? For me. I'll introduce you to Louise, Zoe, Alfie, and such. They're all very nice and kind people, okay? And... I swear I saw Phil around here... Where on earth can he be?"

_Phil? _Dan blinked. "Um, who's Phil?"

"He's the guy I was talking about earlier, y'know the one where I said you guys were both really alike?" Chris said, as he gripped Dan's wrist and edged him along. Dan nearly stumbled but luckily caught himself after breathing a loud sigh of relief. Chris then grinned and nodded, as he walked towards a small group of people that seemed to be around Dan's age.

A pretty girl with long brown hair noticed him, and Chris. "Hi Chris! Thanks for inviting me. Who's this?" She said, blinking at Dan who didn't say anything, too busy staring at her and the other two people with her, both boys. Chris then nudged Dan — hard — in the stomach, Dan winced from the pain and gave Chris a death glare, who stared back at him determinedly.

Then Dan coughed. "I'm, uh... Dan Howell. It's nice to meet you... ?"

"I'm Zoe Sugg," the girl said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you too, Dan." She nodded at Chris politely and returned back to talking with the other two boys beside her, Chris grabbing Dan's wrist once again — pulling him away from the three of them. Dan let out a sigh of relief that he had been holding and shook his head.

Chris sighed, but he grinned. "That wasn't so bad. That was Zoe, Alfie Deyes, and Joe. Zoe and Joe are brother and sister, and Alfie's just a friend of theirs. See? You just need to get past your awkwardness and just _interact_. It's no problem, I don't see why you worry too much. I'll be right back, I need to find Marcus. Make friends!" He added, as he walked off leaving Dan standing in the middle of the hallway, unable to say anything back to Chris.

Dan did _not _care what Chris said, that was an absolute nightmare. He had frozen like a deer in headlights once Zoe had said "Who's this?". It had broken the dam that he was holding all his anxiety and panic in, and had made him suffer of thinking what he was supposed to say next without seeming totally stupid. The good news was that Chris wasn't with him anymore, so he could go on his phone —

Once Dan had clicked it to show his screen, his eyes trailed over to the upper right hand corner where it read the battery, and — Oh, no.

_He'd forgotten to charge it!_

Even _more _panic erupted inside of his stomach. His battery percentage was at 8%! He was not going to last the whole night here until the party ended, and it was barely 6:15. Dan facepalmed and cried internally about him forgetting to charge his phone — how could he even _forget_? Goodness gracious! This was a whole _bucket of fun _for Dan. Great, just great. He should've never picked up Chris's call in the first place. Dan should've locked himself in the car and refused to come out. He should've _never _left the house.

And now he was stuck at Chris's party, having a miserable time while everyone else was being social and having fun.

Dan leaned against a wall and stuffed his hands in his pockets, thinking about how his life was completely miserable. He cursed his awkwardness and bent his head down in shame as he desperately wished for someone to take him home, far _far_ away from this place. He did not care if Chris was disappointed in him leaving straight away. He did _not give two fucks _—

Dan was thinking all of this while walking to the snacks table and munching on a few chips — honestly the only things he liked about parties was the food, and Chris ordered a lot of food. He'd came back to the same spot on the wall a few moments later, if he would be stuck here for hours and hours then might as well eat. Dan checked his phone once more and mourned that he hadn't even thought of bringing a charger with him just in case. Life sucked right now.

He had finished his food and was browsing on his phone a few minutes at a time, in order to conserve the little battery he had left. And then, when he chuckled quietly at a picture he had found on the Internet — BAM.

His phone slipped out of his hands.

And fell, towards the ground.

Now, of course this all happened in slow motion through Dan's eyes. HIM AND HIS STUPID BUTTERFINGERS! Did he really just _drop _his phone? Now, this was even more great! Dan would've imagined everyone turning around and snickering while Dan tried to disappear through the wall, _completely and utterly mortified _—

But the crash never came. Dan opened his eyes and nearly banged his head on the wall.

Someone was standing in front of him, holding Dan's phone in their hands. Dan gulped and examined the person who had just saved his phone's life. He was a few inches taller than Dan, and almost had the exact same hair as him except it was parted on the other side, and a tad longer. And, _wow_. He had the most beautiful pair of blue eyes — was that a hint of green and yellow in them? He had pale skin and was wearing a yellow plaid collared t-shirt that suited him well, along with black skinny jeans and converse.

"I — Er," Dan said, stupidly. He punched himself mentally and nodded at the other male, who stared curiously back at him. _Come on, Dan you fucking idiot thank him already! _"Uh... Thank you. For saving my — my phone." Dan finished, awkwardly. _Idiot! _Dan cursed at himself.

The other male smiled at him. "Ah, no problem." He gave it back to Dan, who gingerly took it. "I'd freak out personally if I nearly dropped my phone too, don't worry." In awe, Dan saw as he pulled out his own phone. "I can't live without this, you?" His eyes flickered, and Dan could see them — even if the lights in the house were flashing brightly.

Dan chuckled, forcing himself to look into the other's eyes. "Er, yeah."

A couple of minutes of awkward silence dragged by.

"So, are you a friend of Chris? What's your name?" He said, apparently trying to start a conversation. Dan was a bit taken aback. No one had ever been this curious to learn about him before. And... well, this guy seemed like a nice person. Dan shrugged, deciding to let him talk.

"Yeah, I am. I'm Dan. Dan Howell." Dan looked over to the male who was now besides him, his eyebrows raised in recognition.

"Oh, so _you're _Dan!" He exclaimed brightly at him, when Dan stared at him quizzically. "Chris told me all about you, you know."

Dan fixed his fringe before saying anything back. "What do you mean 'so you're Dan?' I'm pretty sure I haven't met you before... ? I'm sorry I don't quite recognize you, though," he added quickly, worrying that he might offend him. Personally he would've recognized those beautiful blue eyes anywhere, but Dan didn't say that part out loud. Instead, he bit his lip nervously.

"Oops, sorry. I haven't introduced myself." He said apologetically. "I'm Phil. Phil Lester."

_Phil? _That name sounded oddly familiar. Then it clicked. "Oh! Yeah. Chris mentioned you. He said that you and I had similar interests and stuff like that." Dan remembered. "I think he was looking for you earlier, to introduce you to me." Dan looked back at Phil, who smiled brightly.

"Well, Dan, it's nice to meet you at last," Phil said politely. "So, what do you like?"

"Like? As in... ?" Dan trailed off.

"Anything," Phil had answered.

"Um..." Dan said. "Have you ever heard of the band... Muse?" He trailed off, seeing the look in Phil's face and deflated. Just as he thought he would be able to make a new friend... but suddenly, Phil's eyes brightened and Dan blinked in surprise.

"Yes! They're one of my favorites, what's your favorite song?" Phil said. And he wasn't even saying that to just be nice and fake a conversation. He really liked the band Muse. Immediately a bright smile fixed itself on Dan's face. Maybe they did have things in common after all.

He was about to respond when Chris walked over, seeing him leaned against the wall and Phil standing right next to him. He grinned has he approached Dan and Phil, and raised an eyebrow. "So, Dan! I guess you've met Phil. And Phil, I guess you've met Dan! All on your own too, I'm very proud. Well, anyway I seem to be interrupting a _very deep conversation _— " he said those last few words slowly and grinned mischievously, " — so I'll leave you two be!"

And with that, he left — leaving the two of them to burst out laughing. Thus, they then discussed their favorite songs, animals, likes, dislikes, and just about _everything. _Throughout the whole conversation Dan had to admit that Chris_ was _right._ Phil was exactly like him. _He laughed when Phil had told him that he really liked lions, and in return Dan told him about his liking of llamas. Dan was actually having a _blast _— and pretty soon the party was over.

Surprisingly, he didn't want to leave, not after he'd finally met someone who was just like him. He sighed and smiled at Phil, who smiled back. And wow... He looked really attractive when he smiled. It made Dan's heart stop. At this, Dan slapped himself mentally again. Nope, this guy probably didn't think of him like that. After all, they did just meet two hours ago.

Dan and Phil both had a small talk as they left the house, and then Dan stopped in front of Chris's car. Chris had honked it once to alert Dan that he was waiting for him... But he wanted to say his goodbyes to Phil before he left. He might not even see him again, who knows.

It was cold and windy when they had stepped outside.

"Well..." Dan said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I guess... This is goodbye."

They didn't live anywhere quite near each other, which was a pity. And plus, Dan was still in uni so there was no way he would just drop out and not pursue what he was going to do in life. He was studying law which was extremely stressful, but hey. It was what he found interesting, so he did it, even though previously he was into drama and acting. Hard to believe, eh?

Phil looked equally sad. "Yeah... Well, maybe we'll see each other again."

"It's a small world," Dan agreed.

They stood there, smiling and gazing at each other.

Did Dan mention that Phil had really beautiful blue eyes? He could stare into them all day —

HONK!

Dan and Phil jumped, Dan's cheeks burning. Chris had rolled down the window. "Dan, hurry up and get your ass in here!" Both Dan and Phil burst out laughing, and then Dan snuck a glance at Phil, to see that the other male was staring back at him too, a pink tinge on his cheeks. He stared shyly at the ground, and only turned around to say his last goodbye to Phil.

"Bye, Phil."

"Later, Dan."

Phil turned and walked away, and Dan climbed into the car. He had put on his seatbelt and checked his phone (which surprisingly was still at 8%, it had survived!) when he faced Chris with a smile and saw that Chris was staring at Dan, a dreamy look in his eyes. Dan blinked. "Uh... Chris?"

Chris gave a little sigh and raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you have fun, Dan? With Phil?"

"When you put it that way, Chris, that sounds really weird," Dan noted as the memory of Phil's smile appeared in his thoughts. What Dan didn't realize was that he was smiling creepily to himself, his face feeling warm — until Chris pointed it out. Dan had sunken lower in his seat as Chris smirked.

"Aren't you in love with him, now? Did you get his number?" Chris said, laughing.

Dan shook his head. "No, I didn't get his number... I kinda forgot to ask him... And I'm not in love with him, Chris!"

"Yeah, yeah. Tell me that after I saw you two _gazing _into each other's eyes." Chris tutted. "Maybe next time you'll see each other again, after all, you two _are _friends with me." he had said, grinning at Dan who had sighed and shook his head once more in disbelief.

They'd arrived at Dan's house afterwards, and once Dan stepped out of the car, he turned back and tapped the window. Chris rolled it down, smiling knowingly at Dan. "Thanks, Chris, for inviting me to the party," he said, and waved a goodbye as Chris left.

He entered his house and immediately charged his phone, and smiled to himself.

Wow. Today was probably one of his best days. He checked the calendar.

October 19, 2009.

The fateful day when Dan Howell met Phil Lester.

Little did they know it would be years till they saw each other again.

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><p><strong>AN: **oh golly gee 4,000+ words — aAH. anyway, hope you guys enjoyed. I can relate to Dan in his awkwardness around meeting new people, in all honesty. aah i still don't have a stable plot line what oh i meaN yes i do know what i'm doing LOL

if you could leave a review, that'd be _very very very very _nice of you to do ;w; thank you :]

oh i really do hope you enjoyed uwu i'm so sorry if it was a bit boring, or even rushed aha blame my writing skills — and plus, youtubers are basically a whole new world for me to write, usually i write fairy tail stories (NALU) and along the anime world oho

happy new year's (eve) guys! idk about my new year's resolution tbh haha. i'll see you in 2015,

... and one last thing,

thank you for reading! :D

-choco


	2. Five Years Later

**A/N: **much thanks for all the reviews some of you have left for me ;w; they're all very nice eee thank youu

let's get on w/ chap 1! :D

i'M AN AMERICAN PSYCHO

someone hold me i'm feeling extremely excited oh

enjoy!

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><p><strong>i.<strong>

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(five years later...)

It's nearing 10:30 AM in January 2014, and a certain brown haired man is fast asleep.

Which was something, for he usually stayed up till 4:00 AM browsing on the internet and ended up on waking earlier than usual. His sleep schedule was a bit weird, you could say. But he didn't really care, he was an adult now and living on his own — although the house did feel quite lonely and empty at times. He feared the night, for when he reached to shut the lights off he got _so _scared at the fact of being attacked that he always ran off and never really felt comfortable.

He'd always had trouble going to bed, but this time he'd managed to have a good night's sleep.

It would've been completely peaceful, but then his phone started ringing loudly.

Immediately his brown eyes shot open as he ungracefully fell off his bed, crashing onto the floor — but not before successfully grabbing his cellphone off the nightstand besides him, taking it down with him. He coughed and gasped for air as his bedsheets nearly drowned him, and once managing to sit upright, he took several deep breaths and rubbed his eyes before answering.

"Hello... ?" He said groggily. He hadn't bothered and checked the caller ID.

"Dan!" A voice said merrily, from the other line. It was Chris. He wasn't shocked. Chris had usually called around this time, but did he really need to when he was having an actual good sleep? Dan ran a hand through his hair as he sighed, remembering the last time he'd called and invited him to a party. It was one Dan didn't want to go to, but he ended up on attending anyway — and, meeting someone named Phil Lester.

"What're you up to?" Chris said, and Dan sighed.

"Not much. You woke me up." He replied.

"Oh. Oops! Sorry, didn't know mate. Well... Just gonna tell you now. Phil just called. Said he's gonna go out, and was wondering if I wanted to come." Chris said, and Dan's curiosity peaked once he heard Phil's name. He could hear Chris's grin through the phone. "How 'bout accidentally bumping into him when just casually shopping? I declined though, I already have a dentist appointment later."

Dan smiled. "I appreciate the thought — but, Chris... He lives in Manchester, remember? You've told me, and I think it's quite far from London. I don't think that I'll able to find him through so many people. Thanks, though..."

Chris tutted. "Aw, pity that you haven't got his number. It's been five years since you guys have seen each other."

The 23 year old sighed as he recalled that. _Five years... _Five years really was a long time. He'd met Phil at the party, and they both chatted throughout the whole thing. Dan had unfortunately forgotten to ask the other male his number, and the two have gone their separate ways. And regardless of Chris's attempts to get the two of them back, the two were both busy with their own things. Soon enough, five years passed and Dan was still living the same life he'd been living five years ago.

His social awkwardness had ever-so-slightly improved, but that was because he befriended some of the people he'd met at Chris's party, including Zoe, Joe, and Alfie. He'd met a few other people and had became friends with them as well. But Dan couldn't help but feeling as if... Something was missing. And he knew what it was.

Phil was the person missing from his life.

After all, he and Phil shared a lot of common attributes together. They were basically the perfect two, the dynamic duo. Or, they would've been. But they haven't seen each other in five years — which was definitely more than a long time. Dan always worried about what had happened to the older adult. He wondered how different Phil could've looked like, and what had happened across the years.

He'd totally forgotten that Chris was still on the phone until he cleared his throat, nearly making Dan drop his phone in shock. "Dan? You still there?" Chris called, and Dan stared at the floor sadly, fixing his fringe. He stayed quiet for a few moments before responding.

"Ah, um... Yeah. Sorry. Just thinking..."

Dan couldn't see him, but he imagined Chris frowning. "Hmm. Well... Maybe you'll see him again. It's weird. Both of you guys are always busy when I propose a meeting for you two." He sighed sadly, and Dan stayed quiet. "Oh well. Are you sure you don't want me to give you his number?"

"No... It's okay. I don't want to be a creep or anything." Dan said. In truth, he worried the most about Phil possibly forgetting about Dan. Heck, Dan didn't even remember people from his classes that he took back in University, which was kind of sad. Dan couldn't imagine what it would be like if Phil had completely forgot about Dan — and it honestly broke his heart.

The thing is... He may have developed small feelings for Phil, ever since they've met.

But Dan always tried to reject his feelings. Phil wouldn't be interested in him, he was most likely straight. Phil sure wouldn't like someone like Dan, who was socially awkward and didn't like interacting with other humans. It always made Dan sad, knowing that Phil would probably grow old with somebody... That wasn't Dan. Dan sighed once more and stared sadly at the floor, and his bedsheets which were still covering the lower half of his body.

"All right then, Dan." Chris then said, sounding a bit crestfallen. "I'll see you later."

And with that, he hung up.

Dan placed his phone back on the nightstand and stood up, placing the bedsheets back on his bed. He usually slept with nothing but boxers on, but that was irrelevant. He hummed as he pulled on a black t-shirt with a white circle on it and black jeans. Before he left the room, Dan glanced in the body mirror he owned and sulkily stared at himself.

Even to himself, he kind of figured that he changed through the years. For one, Dan had been eyed countlessly by females through the years — hence awkward glances and conversations, which usually ended in Dan nervously sputtering that he had to catch a train. Did that mean that he was _actually_ attractive? Dan laughed at the thought. As if he was. He always thought of himself as a potato with a bad haircut. He'd gotten taller as well, reaching the height of 6'3" — also meaning that he was taller than most of the people he knew, but he didn't quite mind this a bit. His previously tanned skin had faded, and he had gotten back to his pale skin as usual.

He gave his reflection a small smile before leaving the room.

Dan spent a few minutes straightening his hair (it had gone back to its hobbit-y self) and had finished his breakfast when he decided he wanted to go out for a bit. Maybe today would be quite interesting... Unlike the days Dan spent on the Internet countlessly. He smiled as he remembered that Phil had told him that he had done the same, and had said that his life wasn't that exciting either.

He secretly thought that living with Phil would actually make his life 10x better, but Phil didn't know that.

Dan almost laughed. Of course he didn't, he hadn't seen the other in five years. What were the odds?

Maybe Dan was being stubborn in refusing for Phil's cellphone number because Chris had it, but Dan didn't really want to ask Chris for it. Something in his brain keeps telling him that he should be the one to ask Phil himself. The thought sunk lower in his stomach as he sat down on the couch, thinking some more. He realized that he really _did _miss Phil, a lot.

He grabbed a jacket that he thought would be thick enough and pulled on his furry hat as he walked out the door, leaving the flat.

* * *

><p>It was ridiculous, but Dan <em>had <em>to try.

He decided (after countless moments of debating with himself) that he'd go to Manchester, in hopes of seeing Phil. Once he had decided that, he nearly slapped himself. With the day being a weekend, there were people everywhere, trying to find their right train. Dan stuffed his hands inside of his pockets as he waited for the train going to Manchester. He smiled stupidly at the thought once more, probably earning a few weird looks from passersby.

Could he even call Phil an actual friend if he haven't even seen him in _years_?

His train then arrived soon after, departing to Manchester. Dan entered the sliding doors and luckily got a seat, placing himself in the corner so only one person would sit next to him. He realized that he didn't tell Chris about what he was planning on doing, and was glad he didn't. Chris would be too overexcited and would probably _faint_. That wouldn't be good if PJ or someone arrived at his house and saw he was passed out.

Speaking of Chris... Dan had knew Chris had a feeling about his feelings towards Phil, if that made sense. Chris was that kind of person that was able to read people's emotions somehow. It seemed as if Chris always knew Dan's real thoughts, whether or not he said them out loud. But Dan appreciated his friend being there for him.

Meanwhile, he chewed the inside of his cheek, tapping his foot quietly as he waited for his stop.

The ride was a few hours long, and was filled with noises of people chatting or clicking sounds of people pressing buttons on their cellphones or computers. Meanwhile, Dan's heart pounded as he glanced outside the windows, seeing that snow had begun to fall. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. Through the many things he and Phil had talked about, Phil had also informed Dan that he liked snow a lot.

At long last, the train stopped — and everyone left and went onto the platform, including Dan who had slipped his phone back into his pocket. He brushed the hair out of his eyes as he made his way outside of the station, and cold air whipped around his face. Through the gray sky, Dan could see his breath as he exhaled.

The snow crunched underneath the soles of his shoes as he walked around, looking for some shops to stop by along the way. He didn't even know where to start to actually find Phil — there were so many people, so many faces Dan didn't recognize. Nevertheless, he told himself to keep walking. Honestly, the things he did to find him.

Fortunately, Dan had been to Manchester a few times before — so he kind of knew where he was going.

...Kind of.

* * *

><p>After <em>hours<em> and _hours_ of walking and getting lost a few times, he gave up.

Dan planted himself on a seat on a wooden bench — teeth chattering and body freezing. His fingers were turning red from the cold.

He cursed himself for deciding that finding Phil would be easy as heck, and to go out in this kind of weather. But boy, was he wrong. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know it would be snowing today. Dan wished he brought gloves as he blew on his hands, rubbing them together to try and keep them warm.

Dan was pretty sure he was just going to lay on the wooden bench and lay there as snow covered him because of his failure, but he managed to pick himself up — Chris would be proud. He kept his hands in his pockets (and wished he brought a much thicker jacket) as he trudged around in the snow, silently cursing as people carelessly bumped into him. His miserable thoughts of not finding Phil returned, and Dan bit back the disappointment. How could he have expected that finding Phil would be easy?

Sadly, Dan made his way back to the train station.

He sighed in relief as he began to feel his fingers again. It was slightly warmer in the train station, and he placed his jacket sleeves over his hands to help the heating process. As he looked around for the train to London, Dan couldn't help but be incredibly disappointed that he wasn't able to find Phil. But then again, what were the odds. Dan quietly stood on the platform as he watched people around him talk amongst one another, while he just stood there feeling incredibly alone.

Dan wished he could replay that day — October 19, 2009 — once more, to feel the joy of having someone that had the same likes as him. He remembered how happy he had felt that day, and Dan hoped that he could still feel that happy in the future... Even if it didn't seem that possible. He'd remembered what Chris had remarked one day as the two of them were talking on the phone.

_"Dan, are you okay?" Chris had asked._

_Dan had stopped what he was doing momentarily in confusion. "What d'you mean? Of course I am."_

_Chris had paused shortly before answering. Dan had heard him give a long sigh before he responded. "Dan... I haven't seen you smile in forever. Not ever since that day when you met Phil. __I had been pleased when you started to smile so brightly once again. I__'m worried about you, Dan. You could tell me. I'm your friend, remember? I'll get you and Phil together again."_

_Slightly taken aback, Dan replied. "Chris... I think you're a bit mistaken. I'm fine, okay? You don't have to worry. Nothing's wrong, I promise. And... Thank you. But you honestly don't need to, I'll try to find him myself as well..."_

_A few moments passed until Chris had returned. "If you say so..."_

Looking back at that conversation, Dan had never really thought much about it. He didn't quite understand what Chris meant about it (he was already plenty happy with tumblr), but now that he replayed it over in his mind, Dan frowned. He wasn't exactly _hurt _in any way, it was more likely that he was just disappointed that he didn't agree to Chris arranging a meeting for he and Phil to meet. He didn't really want to put Chris through the hassle, so he resumed back to the real world and continued on waiting for his train.

Slightly bored, Dan pulled out his phone and began to play games on it to pass the time —

— which was until it had _completely slipped through his fingers._

_Oh. No._

_No._

Dan's world slowed down as he witnessed his phone once again _fall straight through his fingers_. He bit back a bitter laugh. It was exactly like that one day, wasn't it? When he'd first met Phil — all because he had nearly dropped the cellphone. But there was no one here to save his phone anymore. Dan squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for the sickening crash and the whispers of _all _the people looking at him. Dan could already feel his cheeks growing uncomfortably hot in embarrassment.

But the crash never came.

He heard a soft thud instead, and Dan slowly opened his eyes.

To his surprise, he glance was met with another male's. His eyes were a bright blue (with bits of green and yellow), and he had short black hair with his fringe swept neatly to one side. Dan frowned. Those eyes... They looked like a pair that he had seen before. As Dan looked the other man up and down, he observed that he was slightly taller than him (he looked around 6'2"), that he had pale skin and was wearing a dark cloak along with a pair of black skinny jeans. He also was wearing glasses that suited him quite nicely.

Dan blinked. Those blue eyes looked _extremely _familiar. But he only knew one person with them, and that was... _Phil_? But this man couldn't be him. His hair looked shorter, and he was also wearing glasses. Dan frowned. He remembered Phil mentioning before that he did wear glasses, but the last time they had met he was wearing his contacts.

They stood there for a while, glancing at each other quietly. Then, the black haired male spoke.

"Oh, um..." He said, looking down at his palm. "I, uh, — your phone."

Dan jolted back to reality. His voice sounded like _Phil's_. It sounded _so much _like Phil's. "Oh! Thank you..."

The mysterious adult handed Dan's phone back to him, and once Dan had grabbed hold of it, he felt the other's hand — like a spark of electricity. Dan's hand lingered on the other's for a while, both of the two staring wide-eyed at each other before drawing back. Dan pocketed his phone, but continued to stare back at him in absolute wonder. The other male shifted quite uncomfortably as they continued to glance at each other.

Then the other man averted his eyes, bit his lip, and slowly walked away.

Dan turned back around, facing the train. It was only about fifteen minutes later when he had a jolt of realization. He needed to ask that person if he really was Phil Lester, that same person from five years ago. He _needed _to know. That's what he came for anyways. And he even _looked _and _sounded _like _Phil_.

Immediately Dan followed his instincts, not caring how insane they were and bolted away from the platform, shoes thudding against the cement, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his furry hat in place. He didn't care whoever saw him, and he even didn't care if he really ended up missing his train back to London. His main priority now was to find him, _and ask him_.

He pushed through others — ignoring yells and shouts of protest — and continued running and running as he searched for him.

Dan ran as fast as he could throughout his entire life. His breaths came ragged and uneven, but he didn't care if he collapsed as he did so. Surprisingly, Dan pushed through and made it outside of the underground. He looked both directions — left, right — and then straight ahead. And then, he saw him. He was walking with his hands outside of his pockets even though he wasn't wearing gloves in this cold.

Instead — he had stopped and held out a hand to feel the snow fall.

And Dan chose that moment to run for it.

The world seemed to slow down as Dan finally reached him, panting tremendously. "W-Wait — Stop, please — " he pleaded through large breaths. Dan coughed and sputtered as he felt the cold air seem to bite his face. He saw the other man turn around, and when Dan looked back up — the other seemed to be waiting for him to speak.

Silence.

Then, Dan stood up straight. He was still trying to catch his breath, but nevertheless — he managed a full on smile as he faced the other. He stared into those bright blue eyes, and let out a laugh that he'd been holding in ever since he left the train station. At long last, he realized. Dan knew who this person was. He knew his name and identity for five long years.

"Phil — Phil. Phil — Lester. It's me — " He managed to say, although he cut himself off — being unable to break his large grin. He watched as Phil's eyes widen in shock, and nearly let out a loud sigh of relief. He could see his breaths in the form of mist in front of him, and although Dan's face was freezing — he waited.

"Dan?" Phil then gasped, his mouth forming into a big smile. "Is that really you?"

"Yes — " Dan exclaimed, feeling joy erupt inside of his stomach. "Yes, Phil, yes — it's me. I'm Dan. Dan Howell."

The two of them continued to stare into each other's eyes — and Dan was so happy he could practically start jumping in the middle of Manchester, and have all people stare at him for all he cared. He'd finally found Phil, all on his own. And he was _not _letting him go this easily now that he did. Dan was smiling so much he thought that his face would split in two. He couldn't even hide in his excitement any longer.

Dan then threw his arms around Phil, and hugged him tightly.

"Phil," Dan murmured in his hair. "I've found you. I've found you. I've _finally _found you." Then, Dan laughed. He laughed so hard that everyone seemed to turn around and stare at him weirdly. But none of that mattered. Nothing mattered now that Dan had finally found Phil. Even the numbing cold didn't seem to affect him anymore. Dan couldn't even explain the hot tears of pure _joy_ that burned in his eyes. After years and years of loneliness... He'd finally found Phil again.

He could hear Phil's soft remark as the shorter but older man embraced him back.

"And I've found _you, _Dan."

They were finally reunited.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **AH

okay this is probably my favorite chapter so far. wow. again, much thanks for the reviews!

this isn't the end yet people! it's a multichap after all haha

i also live in america, so i'm not exactly 100% sure on what things are like in Manchester & London. forgive me DX

alright, i got to go sleep now — so goodnight. hope you all enjoyed!

reviews would be much appreciated :') thank you _so much_ if you do~

-choco x


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